My current read is another from my own bookshelf; The Scent of Murder by Felicity Young which is the third in the Dr Dody McCleland series set in London during the Edwardian era.

Blurb

‘If a black dog appears along the old corpse way, the route a funeral procession takes to the churchyard, it is thought to be escorting the dead soul to the afterlife. A black dog sighting without a funeral procession, however, is supposed to foreshadow death.’

For Doctor Dody McCleland, the unearthing of an ancient skeleton in a dry riverbed is a welcome break from the monotony of chaperoning her younger sister at a country house near the isolated hamlet of Piltdown. But when she begins her analysis of the bones, Britain’s first female autopsy surgeon discovers they are much more recent – and they are the result of murder. With Chief Inspector Matthew Pike’s help Dody begins to investigate.
Soon she finds herself pitted against ugly traditionalism, exploitation, spectral dogs, a ghostly hunt and a series of events that not only threaten her belief in scientific rationalism, but threaten her life itself. Amazon

The last book I finished was Mother Knows Best by Netta Newbound, a contemporary psychological thriller of novella length.

Blurb

All her life twenty-two-year-old Ruby Fitzroy’s annoyingly over protective mother has believed the worst will befall one of her two daughters. Sick and tired of living in fear, Ruby arranges a date without her mother’s knowledge.

On first impressions, charming and sensitive Cody Strong seems perfect. When they visit his home overlooking the Welsh coast, she meets his delightful father Steve and brother Kyle. But it isn’t long before she discovers all is not as it seems.

After a shocking turn of events, Ruby’s world is blown apart. Terrified and desperate, she prepares to face her darkest hour yet.

Will she ever escape this nightmare? Amazon

Next up is a book that I have been eagerly anticipating for some time, See What I Have Done by Sarah Schmidt which was inspired by the infamous Lizzie Borden

Blurb

In this riveting debut novel, See What I Have Done, Sarah Schmidt recasts one of the most fascinating murder cases of all time into an intimate story of a volatile household and a family devoid of love.

On the morning of August 4, 1892, Lizzie Borden calls out to her maid: Someone’s killed Father. The brutal ax-murder of Andrew and Abby Borden in their home in Fall River, Massachusetts, leaves little evidence and many unanswered questions. While neighbours struggle to understand why anyone would want to harm the respected Bordens, those close to the family have a different tale to tell—of a father with an explosive temper; a spiteful stepmother; and two spinster sisters, with a bond even stronger than blood, desperate for their independence.

As the police search for clues, Emma comforts an increasingly distraught Lizzie whose memories of that morning flash in scattered fragments. Had she been in the barn or the pear arbor to escape the stifling heat of the house? When did she last speak to her stepmother? Were they really gone and would everything be better now? Shifting among the perspectives of the unreliable Lizzie, her older sister Emma, the housemaid Bridget, and the enigmatic stranger Benjamin, the events of that fateful day are slowly revealed through a high-wire feat of storytelling. NetGalley

So I have a reading week full of murder and I’d love to know what are you reading?

I can’t wait to read See What I Have Done! I have it on my Kindle but I’m trying to read some of my ARCs first. You’ve just reminded me that I read the first Dody McCleland book when it first came out, but still haven’t picked up the subsequent ones. Time for a revisit, I think!

I read Netta’s Impossible Dilemma last month and I loved it. Mother Knows Best sounds great though I don’t like the cover. It does sound interesting though so I look forward to your review. Have a wonderful week and happy reading.

So a normal reading week then, right? I have to laugh that this is comfort reading for the likes of you and me.
I am currently reading Matt Haig’s The Humans, hoping for a change of pace and something humorous as well as thought-provoking. I’ve just finished The Book of Mirrors by E. O. Chirovici and the next one I’ll pick up may well be Fiona Cummins’ Rattle.

Haha well… yes, a normal reading week but two historical crimes which is always an especial pleasure. I haven’t read Rattle although I want to… I have put one lighter book on the list to lighten up this half of the reading year 😉

Isn’t it odd how some particular crimes capture the imagination Margot? I do love the Felicity Young series, this is the third book in this series that I’ve read and the historical detail is perfectly mixed with a great mystery!

I just finished Sarah Pinborough’s BEHIND HER EYES, a psychological suspense novel about a love triangle. It has one of the most “wow–did not see that coming” twist endings I’ve read in a long time, but I think it was too much of a gimmick. I think the book could have gone in one of several other directions to better effect. Plus (mild spoiler) there’s an implication on the last page that a child’s life is in danger–and that is one plot element I just can’t handle.

I did enjoy Behind Her Eyes too and agree that that twist did come out of the blue! Having said that, having read a number of the ‘big twist’ psychological thrillers I’ve turned back to more traditional crime fiction for a while.